Australia was a founding UN member in 1945 and has been an active participant in peacekeeping operations and other UN activities. Its core interests in the UN's agenda are international security, environment, human rights and targeted development. Australia also has a strong interest in the UN technical agencies dealing with issues such as agriculture, health, refugees and international nuclear safeguards.

Australia supports efforts to reform the UN system and make it more efficient and responsive to contemporary challenges. Australia has been heavily engaged in reform initiatives endorsed at the UN World Summit held in New York in September 2005, including the establishment of a Human Rights Council. Australia is represented on the governing councils of a number of UN bodies, programs and specialised agencies. These include the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the Commission on Sustainable Development, the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Democracy Fund, the Joint UN Program on HIV/AIDS, the International Labor Organisation, the International Maritime Organisation, the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the Universal Postal Union and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

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